1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to organizational and hanger type devices which are uniquely useful for applications including organizing swimming pool pole-head attachments. More particularly, the present invention relates to an organizational device as well as to a portable device exhibiting compact characteristics for organizing swimming pool pole-head attachments. The invention may also be applicable to other head type units including attachments for vacuum cleaners and the like.
2. Background Art
A variety of devices exist useful for keeping articles in an organized fashion. Generally the ownership of a swimming pool in either a residential or commercial setting requires the use of a variety of different cleaning attachments with a cleaning device to adequately clean and maintain a swimming pool. In other applications, a variety of attachments are often needed with cleaning devices or other units for providing a different set of features or characteristics for a system. For organizing a variety of different apparatuses, a variety of different systems and devices have been provided. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,172,937 an article hanger is disclosed which may be used to make horizontal or suspended position. According to the '937 patent the apparatus includes members made of a length of wire bent to form a hook and furthermore are attached to strip so that the hooks project from the strip and are to be used to attach a variety of items.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,373 discloses a suspendable support for articles and methods which include an apparatus that has a plurality of individual articles of different shapes and sizes and which may be secured against accidental releases. Additionally, the '373 patent discloses elongated flexible main elements with loops of strong flexible plastic material which may be formed in conventional larks head hitches for encircling and releasably holding articles of different shapes and sizes.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,197 a hanging storage device is disclosed which includes multi-positional clip assemblies. Generally, the '197 patent discloses a plurality of clamps designed to be slidable along a length of rope or other support so that a user can vary the space between each clip assembly. Additionally, the '197 patent discloses that the user may hang items such as hats, ball caps and the like in various selectable displays.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,105 discloses a hanging device for suspending implements with appropriate ring sizes to engage Styrofoam float objects. Generally the invention of the '105 patent discloses an upright hanging storage arrangement of the Styrofoam objects.
While the prior art storage devices provide solutions for various problems, there appears to be a lack of equipment effective for many applications of organizing head type attachments. The prior art storage devices generally available are not easily attachable to head type apparatus's and furthermore do not organize them in a compact arrangement for a user. In addition, a variety of storage devices known with the prior art do not provide the portability and ease of use which should be available to a user.
In maintaining swimming pools, a variety of attachments are often necessary ranging from vacuum type attachments to a variety of differently shaped brushes for scrubbing the inside of the pool. Vacuum heads can range in size from a more standard 14 inch styled vacuum head to vinyl specific vacuum heads, to larger 22 inch commercial vacuum heads which are often utilized to clean the large public-styled pools.
Additionally, specific brush heads exist for various application ranging from cleaning the walls of a pool to brushes of a different size for scrubbing the floor of the pool. Often the brush heads range in width from about 36 inches to about 5 inches and thus provide for attributes in cleaning a swimming pool. For example, some brushes may be of a wire design which provide for harsher contact whereas other brushes may include combinations of bristle types or may alternatively include some manner of synthetic bristles. In addition to the various types of brushes that may be used on a pool, one may also need a variety of pool nets or the like. Pool nets can include varieties such as a standard skimmer net or alternatively a leaf rake or other styles of netting including varying degrees of mesh so that differently sized particles may be captured and removed from the pool.
The variety of attachments that are used with a swimming pool may be used with pole for utilization by a consumer. Generally, the pole may be of a substantial length so that the user can work with and utilize the attachments in cleaning or otherwise servicing the pool. In some instances, the pole may be of a telescopic variety, where the pole may be adjustable in size, for example, from about five feet to about fifteen feet. As such, a user would be able to clean the various depths of the swimming pool through the use of the pole and furthermore be able to attach the various attachments to the pole for cleaning Generally, the pool pole may include an end with a slightly larger diameter than that of the pool pole-head attachments with spring-pressured protrusions for maintaining the attachment on the pole until the protrusions are pressed inward by the user.
Most often, the pool pole-head attachments include an attaching end with about an exterior diameter slightly smaller than the interior diameter of the end of the pole for attaching thereto. The attachment end of the pool pole-head attachments may also include protrusions so that the protrusions on the end of the pool pole head attachment can insert within the apertures on a pool pole head. This maintains the pool pole-head attachments on the end of the pole until the user desires to remove and switch the pool pole-head attachment to another type.
What is desired therefore is an organizational device which is both compact easy to use and includes a combination of quick attachments and easy portability making the device suitable for use in organizing and attaching swimming pool pole-head attachments and the like. Indeed a combination of characteristics including a compact nature as well as quick attachments provide an organizational apparatus with mode for organizing head type attachments, which may optionally include the organization of pool-pole head attachments for use with the swimming pool. In further optional embodiments, the invention may include a type of swivel design that may be useful in aligning the attachments connected to the device so that the attachments may be more advantageously oriented for storage.